MENUEZ ARCHIVE PROJECTS LAUNCHES VALENTINE’S DAY

After several years of work, Menuez Archive Projects will open on February 14th, followed by a launch party on the 18th at our new studio in West Chelsea. Working virtually non-stop over the last four months since we got partners, we have been editing and vetting my archive of over a million images, and now scanning the selects. We’ll be making these images available to advertising, editorial and educational users through a new web site as well as through my agents at Stockland Martel. And we can now continue the preservation of my historic material shot in Silicon Valley that is housed at Stanford University Libraries.

I’ve been alluding to this upcoming launch and inviting folks to our blow-out party, but now that we’re in the homestretch I feel comfortable myself mentioning it here. MAP is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and chance to leverage all my years of work, and create a solid new platform to build on for the future phases of my career. The development of this project ties in with all the stuff I teach in my workshops in Santa Fe (March 7-13) and Woodstock (Aug. 7-8) and so I’m actually walking the talk. Not so easy, but what I do feel good about is that I’m proving this merger of art and commerce and getting paid to shoot what you love can be a reality; if I can do it, others can. I think photographers all have to explore whatever they can in this harsh environment in terms of new business models, but the bottom line will always come back to what you see that no one else does and then supporting that vision with a solid business plan. Or marry well.

The most fun thing of the past few weeks though has been a chance to shoot a whole new library of images in Miami documenting various stories of real life—just as I would on my own—but the beauty part is these are all released.

Here’s a link to more info about our project on Stockland Martel’s blog, if you are interested in joining us for the party: Party invitation: Come celebrate Menuez Archive Projects on Feb. 18 « Stockland MartelOf course, we are taking large risks, and no new venture is without risk. Over my career, I’ve experienced both successes and failures, and the clearest path to a more satisfying creative life goes straight through risk territory. What the hell, life is short.

Here’s the last shot I made at the end of our week in Miami. Through my talented nephew Max we found an intriguing electronic hip-hop band having a house party. As we were leaving, my young war photog friend Dan McCabe, who was helping out with video, alerted me that some of the kids from the party were hurling beer bottles at the train going through the yard across the street. By the time I got there, the vibe and attention had shifted to more important matters: